


A Dissection Of "The Chess Game"

by smallredboy



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Chess Metaphors, Dysfunctional Relationships, Heteronormativity, Internalized Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Meta, Song: The Chess Game, gender nonconformity, toxic masculinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 17:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16500047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: A meta essay aboutThe Chess Game; on metaphors, toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia, and heteronormativity.





	A Dissection Of "The Chess Game"

**Author's Note:**

> fills the 'canon themes' square in my gen prompt bingo card.
> 
> i got very emotional about this song in the shower and so i wrote my first meta ever. constructive criticism is very welcome! it's my first time doing this so please be kind!
> 
> enjoy!

As established through the musical, chess is a metaphor for love and especially for masculinity. In The Chess Game, the song that signifies the end of Whizzer and Marvin’s relationship in Act One. 

> MARVIN: 
> 
> That's the king. Treat him nice
> 
> Use some brains; now protect him
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Yes, I know

The beginning of the song puts this metaphor in force — Marvin explains the role of the king in chess, and Whizzer immediately dismisses him, saying he knows. Presumably, Whizzer and Marvin have played chess before together, which could signify Marvin not thinking of Whizzer as a ‘worthy opponent’, thus explaining the game to him even after playing it with him beforehand.

In the eyes of Whizzer, we can see chess as an issue with his gender nonconformity — his flamboyance, and his ‘stereotypical’ gayness. He is feminine, and he is more comfortable in his own skin than Marvin is. This can be seen in one particular line.

> MARVIN: 
> 
> Not the queen —
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Who?
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Jesus!   
> 

Queen is a well-known slang term for a most-likely-effeminate gay man, and it is used before this moment in the show. In  _ I’m Breaking Down _ ; “he’s a queen, I’m a queen, where is my crown?” In the beginning of a chess game, the main pieces one can use are the pawns, and the knights.

By saying for him to not move the queen, it denotes Whizzer not knowing very well how to play chess — it also denotes Marvin not wanting Whizzer to be a queen. To not be the flamboyant gay man we’re met with through the entire musical.

> MARVIN & WHIZZER: 
> 
> Life’s a sham and every move is wrong
> 
> We’ve examined every move as we move along

Again, with the theme of masculinity, we can take this as the need to over-perform masculinity. This is common with men of all sexualities, and gay men dealing with internalized homophobia might be the biggest culprit in this. In this case, Marvin — he’s shown to force his partner (be it Trina or Whizzer) into a housewife role so he’s the breadwinner, the masculine man.

This line can be taken to mean Marvin and Whizzer thinking every move of theirs can be taken as feminine, as queer — they over-examine themselves as they walk through life.

We can see Whizzer winning in various ways, but one I would like to explore is Whizzer winning at the game of masculinity. 

> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Let me win!
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Yes, sir
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Please
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Yes
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Wait!
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Whizzer wins!
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Wait!
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Whizzer wins!
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Wait!
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Checkmate!

Whizzer has been put as the effeminate part of the relationship, and he wins the game of masculinity not by giving this up, but by coming to terms with it. Whizzer is more comfortable in his own skin than Marvin — because he’s slept with more men (as stated in  _ The Thrill of First Love _ ), and therefore is comfortable with his own sexuality. 

Meanwhile, Marvin is shown to be uncomfortable with his sexuality and his desire for men. It is seen in this song, too;

> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Since you need a man— 
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> What?

Whizzer expresses Marvin’s desire for a man to be brainy and witty, but is interrupted after  _ man _ , because Marvin is still coming to terms with the fact he only is interested in men. He sounds panicked in his interruption; even after being in a relationship with Whizzer for over nine months, he has a hard time wrapping his head around his gayness.

> WHIZZER:
> 
> Whizzer's supposed to make the dinner
> 
> Be a patsy, lose at chess
> 
> Always bravely acquiesce
> 
> Clip the coupons, make the dinner
> 
> And love him

Whizzer has been forced into a heteronormative housewife role by Marvin, who is still coming to terms with his sexuality. He states himself to be always bravely acquiesce — acquiesce means to ‘accept something reluctantly but without protest’, which has been Whizzer’s reaction to everything for his whole relationship with Marvin. He isn’t happy to be forced to cook and clean, but he doesn’t protest until this very moment.

Whizzer also refers to himself in the third person, perhaps to distance himself of the mess his life has become ever since his relationship with Marvin started. The use of patsy (‘a person who is easily taken advantage of, especially by being cheated or blamed for something’) is also noteworthy. Whizzer says that he’s supposed to be easy to take advantage of — something that fits with the feminine, heteronormative role Marvin pushes him into.

Whizzer also appeals at other feminine stereotypes and archetypes in another part of the song;

> MARVIN: 
> 
> Winning is everything to me
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Nothing is everything to me
> 
> Except sex…
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> Move the pawn
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> And money

Whizzer says the only things he cares about are money and sex, which makes him sound like a gold-digger. In truth, those were the two stable, ‘healthy’ aspects of his and Marvin’s relationship — the sexual portion, and the monetary portion, as Marvin is stated to be financially stable. At least, more so than Whizzer.

Whizzer doesn’t want to admit his care for other people, so he resorts to being seen as a gold-digger, only interested in sex and money; a stereotype mostly used for women, which fits with the running theme of masculinity, femininity and conforming to gender roles.

Another example of Whizzer’s relationship with his effeminate role is shown later in the song;

> WHIZZER: 
> 
> What should I do now?
> 
> MARVIN:
> 
> Move
> 
> WHIZZER:
> 
> Where?
> 
> MARVIN: 
> 
> There
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> How should I behave myself?
> 
> Maybe we should call it quits

Whizzer is appealing at Marvin’s toxic masculinity when he asks “How should I behave myself?”. Marvin has always told Whizzer how to behave himself or how to be in general (in  _ The Thrill of First Love _ , for example, he tells him to shave his legs, to love him and want him). So when Whizzer asks him how he should behave himself, he’s both mocking Marvin’s relentless controlling behavior, and lampshading it.

_ Maybe we should call it quits _ is, of course, foreshadowing of later in the song — when they break up for good.

In regards to the breakup, here we can see a direct juxtaposition of Marvin and Whizzer.

> MARVIN: 
> 
> Anyone understand?
> 
> All I want's a kiss
> 
> Anyone understand?
> 
> WHIZZER: 
> 
> Don't start explaining
> 
> I'm sick of explaining

Whizzer is sick of Marvin ‘mansplaining’, treating him as dumber as inferior because of his toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia. Marvin insists— and does so through all of act one — that all he wants is love, which he never gets because of his toxic and manipulative behavior.

In conclusion, The Chess Game is a song laden with metaphors about toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia and gender roles, and it is very interesting to take a look through it deeply. Especially as a man-loving man or just a member of the LGBT community in general.


End file.
